Emotional Attachments
by Butterfly8272
Summary: Twelve hours is all a person needs for their life to change. Character death.
1. Did I Wake You?

**One more tragedy for the lovebirds. This was a suggestion brought to me by DensiLou, I hope it doesn't disappoint. As usual the POVs are a bit funky, some are in Callen's POV and others are in Deeks'. This is NOT connected to other stories I have written in this fandom. Enjoy!**

**5:14 pm **

G Callen had never been one to create emotional attachments. He had never really been allowed them as a child so he saw little need as an adult, or that's what he told himself. Since he was young, he had thought of himself as a recluse, someone who would only have himself to be concerned about. He had a string of past partners during his career and he did all could to keep both of them safe on the job, but that was what the relationship was-a job. When he went back home each night, he was by himself again in his closely guarded world which he never seemed to against. So watching Marty Deeks act the way he was then, the emotions he must be feeling to fuel such actions, was something completely foreign to Callen. He could not imagine what was going through the LAPD detective's head as he madly paced back and forth. He was raking his fingers through his shaggy blond mane, just one more tell of the anxiety and frustration he surely felt at that moment.

**6:30 am**

_Marty Deeks' internal clock woke him just as the digital clock next to the bed changed from 6:29 to 6:30 that morning, just as the California sun began to filter through the closed blinds of the bedroom window. He wasted no time lying in bed, instead he carefully pulled his arm from beneath the beautiful woman who lay next to him and slipped into the adjoining bathroom. The light t-shirt and loose shorts that had forever been Deeks' uniform during his morning run were waiting for him next to the sink, thoughtfully placed there the night before. He made quick work of changing and brushing his teeth before cautiously sitting back on the bed to lace up his running shoes. But the light jostle behind him on the mattress caused him to look back at his sleeping partner, finding her uncharacteristically awake. _

_ "Did I wake you?" He whispered even though they were the only two in the entire apartment, apart from the dog. "I'm sorry."_

_ "You didn't." Kensi Blye shook her head against the pillow she lay on. "I've been awake awhile." _

_ "What's wrong?" Deeks' brow furrowed in concern, his partner being awake before dawn was virtually unheard of in his opinion. She looked comfortable an oversized hoodie that belonged to Deeks, something she had become to claim as her own over the last year. And now she shrunk into like a turtle tucked into its shell, making her seem much younger that she was, an act Deeks found somewhat adorable. _

_ "I have a bad feeling." She finally said in a low voice. _

_ "Is Kensi Blye superstitious?"Deeks quietly goaded. _

_ "Not superstitious, just…cautious." _

_ "What kind of bad feeling?" He decided to play along. _

_ "Something's going to happen," She said. "something not good." _

_ "That's it? That's all I get it?" _

_ Kensi paused a moment before speaking again. "I don't like it." She whispered. The moment of vulnerability that passed through her tired eyes changed Deeks attitude immediately. He clumsily kicked off his partially tied shoes and swung his legs onto the bed, moving himself from his perch on the edge of the mattress. He quickly lifted the layers of duvet and sheets and slipped back into place next to Kensi, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. Placing a kiss on the top her head, he held her close like he was going to keep away all of the 'bad feelings' she might have for now on. As she responded to his embrace by burrowing into his torso, Deeks felt he would not mind spending each and every morning like this. _


	2. Think About It

**So I messed up and somehow deleted a portion of this story before posting it and didn't realize it. Sorry for the confusion.**

**5:15 pm**

"Maybe you should sit down Deeks." Callen finally said after watching him pace madly for nearly half an hour.

"Leave the man alone." Sam spoke up, also eyeing the detective. "What else is he going to do? Granger has us here until further notice." He spat, obviously aggravated by the Deputy Director.

What Deeks did next was so out of character, no one could have predicted it. In one long reach he had grabbed a ceramic mug left on his desk and threw it at the nearest wall in one smooth motion, effectively shattering it.

"Damn Granger!" He shouted and the entire Mission stilled for a brief second at his outburst. "He has been given enough time." He looked as if he was going to continue his rant but was interrupted by a frantic Nell.

"I think we found her." She said breathlessly then ran back up the stairs, not waiting to see if anyone followed. Deeks led Callen and Sam, taking the stairs three at a time. they piled into the dimly let tech room where Eric and Hetty were already waiting.

"How?" Callen wasted no time.

"It was complete luck." Eric reported while fiddling with several gadgets in front of him. "LAPD reported a suspicious looking vehicle that matched the description Deeks had given us and Nell decided to follow it with traffic cameras. It eventually stopped at one of the harbors and pulled a woman from the trunk—"

"It was Kensi, I am sure of it." Nell interrupted, clearly sensing the team's growing impatience. While Callen and Sam moved to leave, Deeks remained rooted in his spot.

"Was she alive?" He asked, no one volunteered an immediate answer. "Is she alive?" He repeated angrily.

"We cannot say for certain, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said in her usually level tone. "She looked to be unconscious when they removed her from the vehicle."

A look of utter panic passed by Deeks face before it became stone again. "Let's go." He ordered.

Sam led them down to the armory where no expense was spared when it came to the weapons they armed themselves with.

**11:08 am**

_He found her in the gun range, which came as no surprise to him. She had obviously been bothered since that morning and the easiest way for her to work off steam was to shoot high velocity bullets at inanimate objects. Deeks knew better than to sneak up on his partner, especially when she was wielding a firearm so he remained a safe distance away until he was sure she had her clip and had removed her ear protection. _

_ "I think you got him." He teased as Kensi examined the now tattered target she had taken her frustration out on. She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, previously unaware of his presence. Deeks immediately felt bad for startling her and stepped toward her, slowly wrapping an arm around her waist from behind. He was not sure how she would react to the action. Kensi was vehemently against affectionate displays while at work and often scolded Deeks if he tried to break their unspoken rule. But this time she leaned into his touch, allowing herself to settle against his chest. _

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Deeks muttered in her ear. Kensi turned herself around in his embrace so that she could face him and she raised her arms to wrap them around his neck. _

"_I'm just a little…off, I guess." She said. They remained silent for a long moment before Deeks had the sudden need to say something. He had been thinking about it for weeks now, trying come up with the best way to broach the subject. But something told him that waiting any longer would be useless and now was as good as time as any. _

"_Can I ask you a question?" He said. Deeks waited for her silent nod before continuing. "What would you say if I asked to you to marry me?" This was obviously not what Kensi had been expecting and there was nothing to stop look of shock that crossed over her face. For a moment she seemed speechless, baffled, and that concerned Deeks more than anything._

"_Deeks…" She started to say when she regained her use of words, but that was as far she got before seemed to lose them again. _

"_This isn't a proposal. I assure you I can do a little better than the basement of the Mission." He said hurriedly, afraid he too would lose his capability of speech. "But think about it. You're all I need, all I've needed for a long time now. I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere, no matter what your answer may be. But please think about it." Deeks felt himself hold her breath as he waited for her reaction, a heavy silence falling between them. He could not help the smile creep up when she finally nodded. _

"_You'll think about it?" He asked. She nodded again and rose on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his whiskered cheek. _


	3. Not Good Enough

**6:03 pm**

They had taken the truck, Sam uncharacteristically allowing Deeks the passenger seat and he squeezed himself into the back. The action, if done any other time, would have brought on a string of praise and sentimental sarcasm from Deeks. But now nothing was said to acknowledge the event. As they drove, Eric relayed directions to Callen over the Bluetooth. While he navigated the streets of LA, Callen counted the minutes it took to reach the harbor. He used his horn liberally and cursed at an vehicle ahead of him he deemed too slow. Even with the lights of blue and red flashing, traffic was slow to respond to them. Beside him, Deeks kept checking and rechecking his sidearm until the clicking of the chamber sliding into place just another sound of the car.

"Turn left, the warehouse will be straight ahead. "Eric said. "She's in there."

"How far away is the backup." Sam asked from the back seat.

"Five, ten minutes tops." Eric reported.

"Not good enough." Callen said. He saw Deeks hands roll into fists, the tension coming from him was almost tangible.

"As your superior, I am advising you not to enter that building without support." Hetty's voice filtered through the speaker.

"Advice received." Callen clipped before turning off the Bluetooth.

"We're not waiting for backup." Deeks stated.

"Nope." Callen pulled up against a building across from the targeted warehouse, trying to limit their exposure. The men filed out of the truck and Callen took lead, motioning with his hands which door they would enter from as they drew closer.

Just before Sam threw open the steel door, the thought that Callen had no idea what condition they would find his team member flashed in his mind. He had come up with the possibility that Agent Kensi Blye may be dead by the time they reached her, but he had yet to process what that meant. For a brief moment, there was a fault in Callen's step before he was able to completely push aside the thought.

"NCIS!" Sam declared as they burst through the entryway. The team was outnumbered four to one, each man armed and aimed for them. They warehouse being filled with rows and rows of stacked crates, offered cover from the onslaught of fire they immediately began to take, but it was still a fight to even the odds. The agents separated between the aisles of cargo, making their way toward the opposite end of the large building, all the while searching for Kensi. For several moments Callen lost visual of his two counterparts, distracted by the live rounds flying towards him. He did not find Sam until he had rid himself of two gunmen targeting him. At some point he heard another fire fight behind him and could only assume that backup had arrived, if not they were in a whole lot of trouble.

"Where's Deeks?" Sam shouted over the echoing noise. Together they brought down the remaining men, convincing them to lower their weapons and surrender. Callen disarmed them while Sam used zip ties to bind their hands. Callen was about to respond to his partners question, saying he did not know where the detective had gone but a disturbance somewhere else in the warehouse interrupted him.

**1:47 pm**

_"Please tell me this is the last on the list." Deeks whined as they pulled into yet another trailer park._

_ "If you don't count the next three, than yes this is the last." Kensi teased. She had allowed Deeks behind the wheel and she gave directions, something of a rarity in their partnership. _

_ "Why do all Clayton Smith's in the area live in trailers? I almost think the name is missing a stereotype." He continued to complain, parking the car next to an especially trashed structure and double checking the numbers haphazardly nailed to it. _

_ "1287, this is it." Kensi said, already released from her seatbelt and climbing from the car. Deeks slowly followed her, tired of the monotonous task they had already spent last several hours doing. He caught up with her on the stoop and was given the honors of announcing their presence. _

_ "NCIS and LAPD. Open up." He called. _

_ "Why do you say that?" Kensi asked while they waited for a response. _

_ "What?" _

_ "Both agencies, why not just say NCIS?" _

_ "I've got to represent somehow." Deeks said lightheartedly. He had all but put the department behind him, and considered himself an agent more than a detective, but his superiors would say something different. After another moment of silence on the other side of the door, Kensi moved to the nearest window to investigate. It took her all of two seconds before she pulled out her sidearm from its holster, causing Deeks to immediately copy the action. "What is it?" _

_ "There's a body on the floor." She said. Deeks checked the lock on the door then raised his foot to kick it in. They entered with their weapons drawn and spit to clear each of the rooms. While Deeks was clearing the bathroom he heard glass break in the bedroom next to it. Kensi shouted for him and he entered the room just in time to see her follow at least two perpetrators through a shattered window. _

_ "Kensi!" He called after her. He sliced his arm on some glass that remained in the window sill as he went after them but ignored the pain that came from it. The perps had split up and Kensi chased after one as Deeks went after the other. The picariously low riding pants and shorter legs of Deeks target made it easy for the detective to catch up to him. And within minutes Deeks had him handcuffed to a drain pipe so that Deeks could go after his partner. _

_ He moved as fast as his long legs allowed, hurdling turned over trashcans and curbs, trying to make up the several blocks that Kensi already had on him. Deeks turned down one alley just in time to see his partner being over powered by the perpetrator she had been chasing plus two more men. One punched her in the stomach, hard enough for her to double over in pain. It stunned her long enough for them to be able to shove her in the back seat of the grey sedan, the men piling in themselves before driving away. Deeks moved desperately to reach them and he shouted and cursed as he watched them drive away. _

**6:21 pm**

"No!"Deeks cried. Sam and Callen quickly navigated the aisles toward his voice, guns held out in front of them. They found Deeks at the far wall of the warehouse, gun trained on a sharply dressed man, his pristine black suit clashed with the setting they were in. He too held a gun but it was not pointed toward the detective, instead it was aimed at the woman strung up by the wrists from a low hanging beam. They blindfold tied across Kensi Blye's eyes and gag around her moth prevented her from seeing or communicating anything and it caused visible distress. Her legs flailed and her body twisted wildly in the air.

"NCIS, put down your weapon." Callen yelled as they placed themselves in the standoff. He did not hesitate to act when he heard the suited man's gun sound off. Rounds from no less than three other firearms buried themselves in the man's torso. He fell to the floor form the force of the impact, remaining motionless where he lay. While Callen's eyes remained on the still form in front of him, Deeks released a pained cry.

**3:47 pm**

_"Where is she?" Deeks had gotten his wish to be alone with the suspect he had brought in from the trailer park Kensi had disappeared from. The team immediately responded to his distressed call and they lept into action. After sending LAPD to canvas the area, their suspect was brought to the ship slip for interrogation by the agents. Granger met Callen, Sam and Deeks there, placing himself in charge of the search for the missing NCIS agent. It took some convincing, but he relented in allowing Deeks fist go at interrogating the only lead they had. _

_ "You have five minutes." Granger growled before Deeks slipped into the small room used for questioning. Deeks did not need to be told how precious time had become and what he was allotted, he wasted none of it. _

_ "I asked you where they took her?" He shouted at the passive man across from him. _

_ "I told you I don't know." Was all he offered. Deeks drew back his fist and, with all the fear and anger he felt fueled behind it, he drove it into the man's chin. The force knocked him over, chair and all. He was given no time to recover before Deeks was on top of him, sending him blow after blow. Deeks did not stop until he was physically pulled off of the suspect by Sam. _

_ "What is the matter with you?" Granger shouted upon entering the interrogation room. "Take him back to the Mission. Stay there until I say so." He told Callen and Sam. _

_ "You can't—" Deeks started to argue. _

_ "Get him out of here. This man is no use to us if he is incapacitated." Ganger ordered. Sam grabbed Deeks by the arm and pulled him out of the room. As soon as the door was slammed behind them, Deeks tore himself out of Sam's hold. _

_ "What was that Deeks?" Callen asked. _

_ "He doesn't know anything." Deeks growled, kicking over various pieces of furniture in his path. "He's a foot soldier." _

_ "We'll find her Deeks." Sam said. Deeks only responded by kicking over another chair. _

**6:23 pm**

"Kensi!" He ran toward his partner. Callen saw, too late, the blossoming stain of blood grow across her abdomen. In a few rushed steps, Deeks had reached her and he tried desperately to lift Kensi's lithe form to release her from her bonds but it was useless. Within seconds Sam had kicked over a crate and jumped on top, whipping out his pocket knife to cut away the knots that kept her in the air. Quickly the ropes finally gave way and Kensi dropped in Deeks waiting arms. Callen was calling for an ambulance reciting the address.

**4:39 pm**

_ Deeks had isolated himself from all else, finding his post at the railing of the second floor catwalk of the Mission. He gripped the railing and waited, the only things he found himself capable of doing because his mind could not comprehend beyond the present and the past. Any thought of the future was incomprehensible and would not be allowed in the process of imagination. _

_ A stiff statue against the banister was how Nell found him when she dethatched herself from the grip of her tech room. She had consistently seen Deeks every five minutes for the past hour, demanding to know what they had found in the short time, until Hetty had banned him from entering the room again. "You'll know when we know, Mr. Deeks." She had said. _

_ "How are you holding up?" Nell asked the LAPD detective quietly as soon as she had slipped up next to him._

_ "She had a feeling." He muttered to himself, he did not seem to notice the petite woman's presence next to him. _

_ "What was that?" She touched his shoulder gently and the action brought him back to reality. He shook his roughly. _

_ "Nothing." He said before moving away from her. _

**6:25 pm**

"I've got you." Deeks repeated over and over to his partner, lowering her to the floor. "I've got you Kens." It looked as if Kensi was trying to respond but instead she began to cough violently.

"Where were you Fern?" He tried to relay playfulness in his tone but failed miserably. His hands shook as he pressed down on the bleeding wound. Kensi was strewn across his legs and she fought to keep her head up. Callen stepped forward and knelt on the other side of the wounded agent. he slipped his hands beneath Deeks and applied pressure to the bleed. Deeks immediately moved his freed hands up to Keni's head, supporting it with one and gently cupping her cheek with the other.

"You'll be okay." He said to her.

"Lie." Kensi coughed.

"Alright, it's pretty bad." He admitted. "But I'm here now, the ambulance is coming." Kensi's lips moved once more and Deeks bent forward while carefully lifting her enough to hear her words. Callen could not make out what was said but it was what made Deeks finally break. A violent sob caught in his throat and his shoulders shook along with his hands. "You're not going to die. You're not going to die." He chanted. Callen watched as Kensi fought for one more breath before her head tipped back in Deeks' loose grip, the life she held exhausted. Deeks' eyes swung toward Callen's and he continued to frantically repeat the five words.

"Deeks." Callen said somberly, tears stinging his eyes. He slowly took Kensi's wrist in his hand and felt for a pulse he would not find. He shook his head at the lack of rhythm he felt, even though it felt to be hardest thing in the world to do. An inhuman sound released itself from Deeks and it echoed against the towering walls around them. He pulled Kensi toward his chest and ran his bloodied hand through her hair repeatedly, as if comforting her. His heavy sobs prevented any more words.

Callen rocked back on his heels, unable to move any further from the pair. In the distance he could hear sirens drawing nearer and the eventual stomping of boots coming toward them. Sam lead a pair of paramedics through the piles of crates, Callen had not even noticed that his partner had left. He stood to meet them, not knowing what else to do.

"Sir, we need to see her. Please let her go." One paramedic said to Deeks, who remained unresponsive to the request. "Sir?"

"Leave him alone." Callen said, looking dazed.

"G?" Sam looked toward his partner for answers.

"She's dead."


End file.
